National Night Out In El Paso
I enjoyed an incredible event in El Paso this week, where community partnerships were celebrated with all first responders on National Night Out. Congratulations to Chief Joe Montemurro and his team for hosting such a great event! We also enjoyed tremendous coverage in the Pantagraph. Thank you!
Families, first responders enjoy El Paso National Night Out (pantagraph.com)
East Bay Camp
The 105th District is home to a hidden gem called East Bay Camp & Retreat Center. Nestled in rural McLean County on Lake Bloomington is a sanctuary of 160 acres offering Summer Day Camps and Retreats. Thanks to Nancy Folsom Lane and her team for the great tour and to Illinois Great Rivers Conference for your ministry of serving these kids!
Homepage: East Bay & Retreats (eastbaycamp.org)
Deer Hunting Workshops
Registration is open for Illinois Learn to Hunt’s Deer 101 fall workshops. These free, in-person events are designed to help new deer hunters get started in the sport.
Come join us and learn something new this… – Illinois Learn to Hunt | Facebook
The IDOC Is Hiring!
Would you like a job with the Illinois Department of Corrections? A screening event will be held in Pontiac on Wednesday, August 14.
ILLINOIS STATE FAIR
The State Fair is officially underway. The Illinois State Fair officially opened Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Fairgrounds in Springfield. Special days at the State Fair include Ag Day (Aug. 9), Kids Day (Aug. 10), Veterans Day (Aug. 11), and Senior Day (Aug. 12). During special days, designated State Fair visitors can get discounted or free admission to the Fair. Special group-oriented events are also offered on each day of the Fair, which will continue until Family Day on Sunday, August 18. The daily State Fair schedule is available here.
The theme of the Aug. 8-18 Illinois State Fair in Springfield is “It’s Showtime,” and fair officials have planned a full schedule of activities and events that live up to that catchphrase, including the unveiling of the newly-renovated Coliseum and other recent fairgrounds improvements.
The $31.5 million state-funded Coliseum renovation is the most prominent of the numerous construction projects totaling $85.3 million that will improve the fair experience, according to Illinois Department of Agriculture director Jerry Costello.
This year’s State Fair Grandstand entertainment lineup includes: Aug. 9, Keith Urban; Aug. 10, Motley Crue; Aug. 11, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit; Aug. 13, Jordan Davis; Aug. 14, Lil Wayne; Aug. 15, Jonas Brothers; Aug. 16, Smashing Pumpkins; Aug. 17, Miranda Lambert; and Aug. 18, Shaboozey.
CRIME
Proposed Illinois law would cut all prison sentences in half: ‘Fair’ or ‘outrageous’? A proposed bill could grant JoAnn Cunningham – who is serving 35 years for killing her 5-year-old son AJ in their Crystal Lake home – freedom after completing only half her sentence.
Should the measure become law, it also could free the child’s father, AJ Freund Sr., who was sentenced to 30 years for crimes tied to his son’s murder, after serving 15. His term currently is ordered to be served at 85%, which would keep him in prison for about 25 years.
Those are only two examples of what would happen should House Bill 5219, sponsored by state Rep. Barbara Hernandez, a Democrat from Aurora, and co-sponsors Kevin John Olickal and Lilian Jimenez, becomes law. The measure, if passed during the so-called lame-duck session in January, would allow incarcerated people who’ve been convicted of even the most egregious felonies – including first-degree murder, aggravated predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance resulting in death – to serve only half the imposed sentence.
Under the current truth-in-sentencing laws, most prison terms in Illinois, except for those for murder, are not served in full. Convictions for offenses of DUI, sexual abuse, sexual assault and weapons charges are required to be served at 50%, 75% or 85%, depending on the class of the felony and details of specific cases. This new proposed law would require that all prison terms – regardless of the crime – be served at 50%, including murder, except where a term of natural life is imposed. The law would work retroactively, reducing sentences of those already serving time in prison, lawmakers said.
Read more on this story from Shaw Media.